The Wasatch County Children’s Justice Center was built in the late '90s and has since outgrown the space.
The county council approved an expansion to the building next to Old Mill Elementary in Heber in early July. E.K. Bailey Construction will complete the work.
For decades, young survivors have found support at the center and advocates have interviewed children about abuse allegations. Director Kurt Hoffman said the upgrades will improve those efforts.
“They typically don't use their big voice when they want to talk about those hard things,” Hoffman said. “We want to be able to capture those small voices and not have to have it be repeated, so we're soundproofing and improving our video and audio recording equipment in our interview rooms.”
The upgrades also include new ADA-compliant bathrooms and ramps as well as a new 900-square-foot conference room connecting to the back of the building.
Another addition is parking. Hoffman said the lot now has 10 stalls and another eight will be added.
“Our parking lot is incredibly small and not sufficient to fit all the team players,” he said. “When we have a family come to the center, there's a forensic interviewer, the victim advocate, CPS and law enforcement in the families. So you're talking seven to 10 people at a time.”
A multidisciplinary team of around 20 people also meets at the center monthly.
The county estimates the project will cost between $1.1 million and $1.3 million. A state grant is expected to fund nearly half the total amount. Donation dollars will also support construction costs.
Wasatch County Manager Dustin Grabau said construction will start in the next few weeks. The county aims to finish the project by the end of the year.
